In the past, many gasoline dispensing pumps were provided with two operating levers. One lever was used to clear the volume and cost register and the second lever was utilized to activate the fuel valve and pump for a subsequent dispensing operation. With the advent of self-service stations, the two lever system was confusing to the purchaser, so that it was desirable to convert the two lever system to a single lever mechanism.
In addition, the two lever system provided a problem in self-service stations in that after dispensing the gasoline, the purchaser could rotate the "clear" lever which would clear the register, so that the station operator would have no indication as to the amount of gasoline which had been dispensed. In some situations the purchaser would purposely clear the register and attempt to pay for a lesser amount of gasoline than that actually dispensed.
The U.S. Pat. No. 3,216,659 to Ambler et al, is directed to a reset control mechanism to be associated with the register of a gasoline dispensing pump. In the structure of this patent, the reset mechanism is operably connected to the register, and a single operating handle located on the outside of the pump is connected to the shaft of the reset mechanism. When the hose nozzle is removed in order to dispense gasoline, the operating handle is rotated to clear or reset the register and to activate the fuel valve and fuel pump. After the delivery is complete and prior to restoring the hose nozzle in the receptacle on the pump, the manual control handle is rotated back to its original position which acts to deenergize the fuel valve and fuel pump. Thus, with the reset mechanism as described in the aforementioned patent, the register will not be cleared until a subsequent fuel delivery is to be made and the hose nozzle is removed and the control handle is rotated to the "ON" position.